Having Both Hatred + Eternal Gratitude For Tom Price

________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

An argument

to name 

Evan Hunter's

best novel

would result in

blood-soaked

bar fights

 

ITALJust for the hell of it,

I'd throw a first punch

ITALif and only if

I'm wearing my

Super-Speed Keds

 

However, 

THE MOST IMPORTANT NOVEL

written by the man 

whose birth name is

Salvatore Lombino 

is 

not subject to dispute

 

The title of that book is

The Blackboard Junglex

 

Obviously not the only novel

—with film adaptation—

 about a ghetto classroom

with a "virgin teacher"

BUT 

it is the most important novel

in the vast domain

of the man 

who is legally known as

Evan Hunter

 ❗❗❗  

 

 

To those who believe 

TO SIR WITH LOVE

is more important,

I would state that

—LuLu be Damned—

 

Sidney Portier's

singing

is captured on film

in the adaptation

of Evan Hunter's novel

but not 

in the other classic film

 

TO SIR WITH LOVE

succeeded as a "musical"

but 

Blackboard Jungle 

is as musical as 

the Disney-produced

film

"Mickey Urinates on Minnie Mouse"

 

The name of the teacher is

"Dadier 

and the students

treat it like a Rubber Ducky

 

Glenn Ford

with a crew cut

exemplifies

perfect casting 

________________

_________

 

After writing 

"The Wanderers, 

The author I "hate" 

—Tom Price— 

had the distinct privilege

of working with 

  Ernest Dickerson

and 

New York Knicks Super-fan

Spike Lee

in the film version

of another Price novel:

Clockers

________________

_________

_________

________________ 

 

 I now proceed

to express 

my gratitude

to Mr. Price: 

 

I am presently reading

the 50th Anniversary Edition of

The Blackboard Jungle

but 

I am reading it

at a pace slower than

a heron on heroin

AND

I am doing so

  without any guilt 

 

Why? 

This book junkie 

could easily have read

The Wanderers

—in its entirety— 

while sitting on the toilet 

 

I say that

not to insult 

the toilet

but because 

virtually ALL

of my reading

is generally 

fast-paced

 

OTHERWISE

idiot-guilt 

smothers my soul

 

BUT

Pricee's Bronx-based novel

proved so revolting

as to change

my attitude

about 

slow-reading:

 

I am immensely enjoying

every sentence, paragraph

chapter, and scenario

of Blackoard Jungle

because each page

has crystal clarity

only after each word

is read five times 

  

 Thanks to Tom Price

for this uplifting

Attitudinal Adjustment 

   

________________________________________________________________________________________________